Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/04 09:59:58
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Mosca

IT'S OVER! PIRATES WIN THEIR 81ST GAME, AND THE STREAK IS OVER!!!!!!!!

Indeed, the first non-losing season since 1992.

I don't know how this season will come out, but I hope, at least, it involves the Bucs knocking the Braves out of the playoffs. At least one of Leyland's teams should have been World Champs, but the Braves kept pulling crap out of their ...

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/10 12:11:30
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Now the only race of interest in the NL is the Central Division, since it's not looking too likely that Washington or Arizona is going to make a serious bid for the lower wild card spot. Not that it couldn't happen, but it seems like a real long shot at this point. As if the Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds haven't seen enough of each other this year.

A couple of weeks ago I heard an interesting fact that I never would've believed: this is the first year since 1977 that the Dodgers have had a division lead of 10 or more games. I never would've guessed it's been that long.

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/18 09:17:17
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I saw an interesting stat about the Brewers' Carlos Gomez the other day. For the past 10 years ESPN has been tracking "home run robberies" and the 5 that Gomez has accumulated this season are by far the most in any of those years.

He's victimized the Reds twice and each time it figured directly in a Brewers win. Given the tightness of the NL Central and wild card races, by the end of the season those 2 games could make a real difference.

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/18 09:59:56
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Congratulations to Chris Davis for now holding the Orioles' record with 51 (and still counting) HR.

Not - as O's season ticket holder back then - that I was unhappy to see Brady Anderson hit 50 in 1996, I did think it odd. Quite odd, especially since he hit a grand total of 160 in his other 14 seasons!

It was soon thereafter that Sosa and Bonds started playing with linebacker bodies and the injury-prone McGwire started playing full seasons, hitting balls out of the park with what looked like check-swings.

Put yourself in Barry Bonds' shoes after the 1996 season: you know damn well that you are the greatest player of your generation and you see some skinny punk nobody hit 50 out of nowhere. Yes, pride and envy are both deadly sins and Bonds ought not to have succumbed. But he did, and several worthy others did as well. Too bad; so sad.

Clemens', Bonds', and Palmeiro's "non-juiced" careers merit the HOF. Put them in! And the same goes for A-Roid whenever he's finally done collecting on his contracts.

In the meantime, kudos to Crush Davis, a corn-fed Texas boy who finally stopped pulling off the ball!

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/18 10:38:32
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MetroplexJim

As a Rangers' fan I have been lamenting (endlessly!) about "our" giving Chris Davis away to Baltimore. The reason for this was the "glimpes" of potential greatness he gave us during his three partial seasons here.

(Another bit of advice: don't "do" the HR Derby at the AS Game; it might mess with your timing and your head like it did with Josh).

Davis did participate in the Derby and his post-ASG numbers are down significantly compared to the first half of the season. Fatigue's almost certainly a factor to some degree but the history of some other players does make me wonder if there might be a correlation.

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/18 11:01:24
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ScreamingChicken

MetroplexJim

As a Rangers' fan I have been lamenting (endlessly!) about "our" giving Chris Davis away to Baltimore. The reason for this was the "glimpes" of potential greatness he gave us during his three partial seasons here.

(Another bit of advice: don't "do" the HR Derby at the AS Game; it might mess with your timing and your head like it did with Josh).

Davis did participate in the Derby and his post-ASG numbers are down significantly compared to the first half of the season. Fatigue's almost certainly a factor to some degree but the history of some other players does make me wonder if there might be a correlation.

True! There has been a drop-off which I see as evidence that Davis is not juicing. (Not that anyone is accusing him). I'd love to be his agent for his upcoming arbitration!

The "juicers" claimed that the primary benefit from the 'meds' was both in fighting fatigue as the season wore on and in speeding recovery from injury.

Maybe it also allowed them to hit the ball a little further, but there is no drug in the world that can help you apply the barrel of the bat to the ball. I've never seen anyone do that as well as Bonds did 2000 - 2004. That I attribute to LASIK which enables one (legally) to "but Ted Williams' eyes".

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/09/19 10:04:52
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I'm getting a feeling about all four teams I root for: the Bucs, Rangers, O's, & Nats. What to do? I'm actually thinking Dodgers, a team I haven't favored since the incomparible #32 retired. The Braves? Not until they admit that Sid Bream was "deader than Julius Caesar" at home in 1992.(The "He's deader than Julius Caesar" call by the (non-Vin Scully) Dodger broadcaster when Puig unveiled his Clemente-like arm in gunning down a runner by a mile at third ranks right up there "Clear the deck. Cannonball coming! Raise the Jolly Roger!!!").

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/10/01 18:04:34
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And, speaking about the

Rangers

If you check back to the 2010 thread I started bit*hing about them giving away Chris Davis (and Tommy Hunter) soon after they did it.

This year I'm reallyupset that they gave up C.J. Edwards (and Mike Olt) for a few months' rental of that useless pile of pitching flesh, Matt Garza. Now, at least let the friggin' Yankees sign him. PLEASE!

Re:The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!2013/10/02 10:05:15
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For me, the perfect ending for the NLCS would be at Turner Field: the Bucs go one up in the top of the 9th. on a missed call at home plate, then serve a heap "Grilli Cheese" to those smug Tomahawk Choppers.